Travelers look for best gas prices

It’s no secret that many plan on driving to Christmas and New Year’s gatherings, but those who know where to fill up stand to reap the best savings.

In a recent analysis of retail gasoline prices across multiple types of providers, GasBuddy finds that ‘wholesale clubs’ (i.e., Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale Club) offer the greatest savings versus other competing gasoline sellers in the area. The wholesale clubs’ price advantage for 2013 represents a differential of 11 cents per gallon versus other local stations.

“It's important with millions of Americans hitting the road for Christmas to give them tips on where they are likely to find the most savings at the pump,” says Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy. “We’re pleased to share the findings on price trends across retail categories and hope that our reminder will help motorists keep more of their money in their pocket.”

“Of course, consumers have to pay an annual fee to have the ‘wholesale club’ savings available to them. But, for those who decline participation in wholesale clubs, the large grocery chains represent the next best option,” says Gregg Laskoski, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com.

In 2013, consumers who opted for the large grocery chains saved approximately 6 cents per gallon compared to prices at their local competitors. These include stores such as: Fred Meyer, Smith’s, Safeway, Stop & Shop Supermarket, Kroger, Murphy USA, Murphy Express, and Food Bag.

GasBuddy operates over 250 similar websites that track gasoline prices at over 140,000 gasoline stations in the United States and Canada. In addition, GasBuddy offers a free smartphone app which has been downloaded over 25 million times to help motorists find the lowest gasoline prices in their area. To download the GasBuddy mobile application for FREE, go to GasBuddy.com.